The deal helps both firms to strengthen common commitments towards a sustainable and circular economy for food packaging
Image: Viridor will supply post-consumer recycled PET to Klöckner Pentaplast. Photo: courtesy of Viridor.
UK-based Viridor has secured a recycled PET supply contract from German company Klöckner Pentaplast (kp).
Viridor offers recycling, renewable energy and waste management solutions, while kp provides rigid and flexible packaging and speciality film solutions.
Under the five-year contract, Viridor will supply 8,000 tonnes of post-consumer recycled PET to kp per annum.
Viridor recycling managing director Simon Hicks said: “Viridor is delighted to have formed this partnership with kp, a company with which we have enjoyed a longstanding relationship. It is this kind of collaboration which will have a meaningful impact on creating a truly circular economy.”
The latest deal bolsters the two firms’ long-standing partnership, in addition to common commitments towards a sustainable and circular economy for food packaging.
Avonmouth facility will produce 60 KT of recycled plastics in the first two years
The new £65m Avonmouth Resource Recovery Centre will help Viridor to fullfill the five-year deal and make kp its largest rPET flake customer.
Claimed to be the company’s largest UK multi-polymer processing plant, the Avonmouth facility will manufacture 60 kilo-tonnes (KT) of recycled plastics from 81KT/year feedstock in the first two years. The feedstock will include 1.6 billion bottles, pots, tubs and trays.
With an increasing volume year on year, the company intends to boost volume to 63KT from 1.7 billion bottles, pots, tubs and trays in the third year. The move will help Viridor to supply 8,000 tonnes of recovered and processed post-consumer recycled PET to kp.
The exclusive collaboration with Viridor will also help kp to move towards the achievement of its commitments to increase the use of recycled content in their packaging, as part of the Positive Plastics Pledge.
In September 2018, kp launched the initiative of Positive Plastics Pledge to support a true circular economy
Kp food packaging division president Adam Barnett said: “We have celebrated the first successful year of our Positive Plastics Pledge and are proving that plastic is a valuable material and when managed responsibly through the right infrastructure, can be collected, sorted and recycled into sustainable, recyclable packaging, while maintaining food safety, security and ultimately preventing food waste.”
In November, Viridor secured a recycled plastic supply contract from consumer goods company Unilever.